In May, Ohio State appeared on a list of 55 universities under federal investigation for their handling of sexual assault and other Title IX violations.
Despite the ominous nature of the report, Ohio State elders never seemed rattled about the outcome. An Ohio State spokesman rebutted immediately, saying "it was no major concern."
It appears he was right.
As first reported by Collin Binkley of The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State signed an agreement with the Department of Education to "address sexual discrimination."
The federal investigation actually started in 2010, and investigators found "several policies" that violated IX rules. Including, but not limited to: keeping poor records of investigations, failing to publish policies campus-wide, and confusing protocols for reporting sexual harassment or assault.
But, Ohio State is on the up-and-up now, according to investigators:
“This agreement and the Ohio State University’s recent response to the culture within the marching band, set clear and vitally important expectations for a community-wide culture of prevention, support, and safety,” Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a statement.
“I applaud Ohio State for taking strong leadership now to eradicate a culture of silence related to sexual harassment. I look forward to working with Ohio State as it implements the resolution agreement.”
Regardless of how you feel about the firing of Jon Waters, sexual assault and harassment are bad, and a federal investigation going away is a good thing.
